Heating system humidifier



Jan. 21, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 14, 1955 Jan. 21, 1958 R. P.SKERRITT HEATING SYSTEM HUMIDIFIER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 14, 1955INVENTOR. 25A???" To BY wl/zff HEATING SYSTEM HUMIDIFIER Roy P.Skerritt, Detroit, Mich. Application February 14, 1955, Serial No.488,037

2 Claims. Cl. 126-113) This invention relates to humidifiers and, inparticular, to hot air heating system humidifiers equipped withevaporator plates.

One object of this invention is to provide a humidifier which isespecially well adapted for use in so-called high pressure hot airheating systems wherein the heated air is forced under pressure fromthe, heating furnace to the space being heated through pipes ofrelatively small diameters adapted to be embedded in the concrete floorsof the rooms to be heated, as in certain so-called ranch type houses.

Another object is to provide a humidifier which is adapted to be mountedin an aperture in a side wall of a hot air furnace, the humidifier panbeing equipped with evaporator plates having their lower ends immersedin the liquid therein and having their upper ends projecting through theaperture into the hot air stream, means being provided in the apertureto substantially seal ofi the humidifier pan and itswater-level-regulating mechanism from contact with the heated air,thereby protecting them from the adverse effects of heat and pressure.

Another object is to provide a humidifier of the foregoing characterwherein the protecting means consists of a partition separating thewater supply compartment of the humidifier from the hot air passagewaywithin the furnace, this partition also having slots through whichportions of the humidifier plates snugly pass, thereby utilizing theslotted partition plate as a humidifier plate rack.

Another object is to provide a humidifier of the foregoing characterwhich is mounted on the outside wall of a heating furnace casing, andprojecting through an aperture therein into the hot air stream, theevaporator plates having wings which project from the main portions ofthe plates into the interior of the heating duct.

Another object is to provide a humidifier of the foregoing characterWherein the combination partition and evaporator plate rack prevents hotair under pressure from reaching the humidifier chamber in sufiicientvolume to objectionably raise either the pressure or temperaturetherein, thereby preventing interference with the action of thewater-level-regulating mechanism by such pressurized hot air, as inprior humidifiers, and also preventing raising of the temperature of thehumidifier compartment and the water in the humidifier pan sufficientlyto cause the accumulation of lime deposits.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentduring the course of the following description of the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure l is a horizontal section through a humidifier according to oneform of the present invention, taken along the line 1--l in Figure 2;

Figire 2 is a vertical cross-section through the humidifier taken alongthe lines 22 of Figures 1 and 3;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the humidifier takenalong the line 33 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the side wall of theheating furnace to which the humidifier is 2,32%,4429 Patented Jan. 21,1958 attached, showing the aperture and fastener holes made therein;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the mounting bracket by which thehumidifier is attached to the heating furnace at the location shown inFigure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the combination partition andevaporator plate rack shown in the central portion of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a front elevation of an evaporator plate retaining bar shownin the central portions of Figures 2 and 3;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the fioat-operatedwater-level-control valve shown in the lower lefthand corner of Figure2; and

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section through the evaporatorplates and partition showing the wedging sealing action therebetween.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figures 1, 2 and 3 show ahumidifier, generally designated 10, according to one form of theinvention as mounted on a heating furnace l1 and projecting into thecasing 12 thereof. The furnace 11 is preferably of the so-calledhigh-pressure type employing relatively small hot air pipes throughwhich the heated air is forced under pressure. The side wall 14 of theheating furnace casing 12 is provided with an aperture 16 (Fig. 4)having top and bottom edges 18 and 20 and upper and lower side edges 22and 24 spaced apart from one another at different widths and separatedfrom one another by horizontal shoulders 26. The aperture 16 issurrounded by spaced fastener holes 28 aligned with the correspondingfastener holes 34} in the open-centered rectangular border portion 32 ofa mounting bracket, generally designated 34. The latter has arectangular aperture 36 having upper and lower edges 58 and 40 alignedwith the upper and lower edges 18 and 20 of the aperture 16 and havingside edges 42 aligned with the wider side edges 24 thereof.

Formed integrally with the border portion 32 are parallel side wings 44having front edges 46 composed of upper arcuate portions 48 of about 90arc, and straight vertical lower portions 50. The side wings 44 alsohave straight bottom edges 52. Adjacent the junction of the curved edgeportion 48 of each wing 46 with the border portion 32 is a notch 54. Theside wings 46 also have aligned vertical slots 56 and aligned upper andlower pairs of holes 57 and 53 respectively for the purpose ofsupporting the evaporator plates and pan, as disclosed below. lnsertablein the slots 56 are the notched opposite ends 60 of an evaporator plateretaining bar 62, the notches 6-!) being separated from one another by adistance equal to the separation of the slots 56 in the side wings 46 ofthe mounting bracket 34.

Secured as by screws or other fasteners 64 inserted through the holes 58in the mounting bracket wings 46 is a humidifier pan, generallydesignated 66, of rectangular shape mounted in such a manner that itsforward end 68 extends through the apertures 36 and 16 in the mountingbracket 34 and furnace casing side wall 14 and the side walls '70 and'72 snugly engage the aperture side edges 24 and 42 as well as the wings44, to prevent leakage of air therebetween in substantial volume. Thebottom Wall 74 of the humidifier pan 60 rests on the bottom edges 20 and40 of the apertures 16 and 36, and overhangs the hot air passageway 13(Figure 3). The front wall 76 of the humidifier pan 66 is provided withan overflow opening '78 and the opposite side walls-70 and '72 areprovided with screw holes 80 aligned with the mounting bracket wingscrew holes 58 for fasteners 82 (Figure l) by which the humidifier pan66 is secured to the wings 44 of the mounting bracket 34.

The side wall 70. of the humidifier pan 66 is bored as at 84 (Figure 8)to receive the threaded hollow stem 86 of a stationary valve member 88of a water-level-control valve, generally designated 90, held in placeby a nut 02 and the usual washers 94 on opposite sides of the wall 70.The valve member 88 is provided with a spray hood 96 and a bracket 98with side wings 100, all being bored for the passage of the stem 86 andheld in position by the nut 92 threaded thereon. The valve member 88 isprovided with a nozzle 102 which is engaged by a resilient valve closuremember 104, the stem ofwhich is mounted in a hole 106 in a fixture 108which has a top wall 110 from which side wings 112 extend downward andare bored to receive a pivot pin 114 which also passes through the sidewings 100 of the bracket 98. The top wall 110 is provided with a boss116 which is bored and threaded to receive an adjusting screw 118, thebottom of which is annularly-grooved as at 120 to receive a longitudinalslot 122 extending inward from the rearward end ofa float arm 124 ofchannel cross-section. The float arm 124 has aligned notches 126 in itsside flanges adapted to receive a pin 128 supported in and extendingbetween the wings 112. The pins 114 and 128 conveniently consist ofcotter pins. Mounted on the outer end of the float arm 124 is a float130 of any suitable buoyant material, such as tfoam glass. As aconsequence, the rise and fall of the float 130 and the consequent riseand fall of the float arm 124 and the fixture 108 moves the resilientvalve closure member 104 away from and toward the nozzle 102 to turn onor cut off the supply of water entering through the water passageway132. The threaded stem 86 is connected to a source of water underpressure, such as to the ordinary domestic water system.

Mounted against the aperture 16 of the furnace casing side wall 14between the border portion 32 of the mounting bracket 34 and the sidewall 14 and held in place by the fasteners 134 which secure the mountingbracket 34 to the furnace casing side wall 14 is a combination partitionand evaporator plate rack, generally designated 136. The member 136 isin the form of a piece of bent sheet metal having an upper portion 138covering the major part of the aperture 16 in the furnace casing sidewall 14 and a lower portion 140 inclined downwardly into the pan 66,with the junction line or line of bend 142 disposed at the upper edge ofthe pan 66 (Figures 3 and 6). The lower partition portion 140 extendsdownwardly and forwardly almost to the front Wall 68 of the humidifierpan 66, with the result that the partition 136 substantially seals offthe interior of the humidifier pan 66 and the space above it from thehot air passageway 13 of the furnace casing 12, so as to prevent airunder pressure from reaching the pan 66 and the chamber 144 above it insubstantial volume. The forward edge 146 of the lower portion 140 of thepartition 136 is provided with multiple notches 148 for the drainage ofwater into the humidifier pan 66. Both portions 138 and 140 of thepartition 136 are provided with connected slots 150 having upper andlower connected portions 152 and 154 for the reception of evaporatorplates, generally designated 156. An evaporator plate hold-down rod 157is mounted in the holes 57 in the mounting bracket wings 44.

The evaporator plates 156 are of porous material, such as compressedglass fiber, so as to possess a wick action or capillary force adaptedto lift water from the evaporator pan 66 and evaporate it into the hotair stream passing through the heating passageway 13. For this purpose,the evaporator plates are of approximately L-shaped appearance with theelongated main vertical portion 158 (Figure 3) of each plate extendingupward to the full height of the slot 150 and having a wing 160projecting forwardly into the air passageway 13 of the furnace casing12. The wing portions 160 of the evaporator plates 156 are slightlythinner than the main portions 158 thereof (Figure 9), preferably with atapered junction 162 between them, so as to provide a sealing engagementbetween the evaporator plates 156 and their respective slots 150 for thepurpose (Figure 3).

of further sealing the humidifier chamber 144 and the in terior of thehumidifier pan 66 from the air passageway 13 of the furnace casing 12.

The humidifier chamber 144 between the mounting bracket wings 46 isclosed in by a cover, generally designated 164, having a horizontallower portion 166 extending over the rearward end of the humidifier pan66 and an upstanding forward portion 168 consisting of a verticalportion 170 and an arcuate or partially cylindrical portion 172, thelatter terminating in a downturned flange 174 which hooks into thenotches 54 at the upper ends of the wings 46. The upstanding portion 168of the cover 164 follows the contour of the edge portions 48 and 50 ofthe mounting bracket wings 46 so as to seal these edges, and the cover164 is provided with a lateral edge flange 176 which extends downwardlyalong its sides and around the front end of the evaporator pan 66 In theoperation of the invention, let it be assumed that the humidifier hasbeen mounted in the manner described above, and that the threaded stem86 of the water-flowcontrol valve 90 has been connected to a cold Waterpipe so that the water has filled the humidifier pan 66 to the desiredlevel. At this level, the rise of the float 130, float arm 124 andfixture 108 has moved the valve closure member 104 into closingengagement with the valve nozzle 102, shutting off the further flow ofwater until evaporation reduces the water level.

' The capillary or wick action of the evaporator plates 156 causes waterto be drawn upward into their wings 160, where it is carried away by theheated air passing through the heated air passageway 13 of the furnacecasing 12. Although this heated air is under pressure, very little of itcan enter the humidifier chamber 144 because of the presence of thecombination evaporator plate rack and partition 136 and the sealingengagement of the evaporator plates 156 with their respective slots 150(Figure 9). The slight amount of air entering the humidifier chamber 144through the notches 148 or through the slight cracks which may existelsewhere around the edge of the aperture 16 in the side wall 14 of thefurnace casing 12 is insufiicient to aifect the accuracy of the float130 and consequently the heat carried by it is insuflicient to raise thetemperature of the chamber 144 a suflicient amount to cause the depositof objectionable amounts of lime on the nozzle 102 of the control valve90. As a consequence, the water in the humidifier pan 66 and thehumidifier chamber 144 above it remain relatively cool, and the water isevaporated into the air stream by the evaporator plates 156 throughtheir wings 160. The consequent cooling of the evaporator plates 156 bysuch evaporation further cools the water in the humidifier pan 66 andtherefore prevents lime deposit. In practice, it has been found that inthe humidifier 10 of the present invention, the water temperature in thepan 66 is kept down to a temperature below F., and liming up of thevalve consequently prevented.

What I claim is:

1. A humidifier comprising a mounting structure having an aperturetherein, a water pan mounted on said structure in communication with theatmosphere, a water control valve having an outlet disposed adjacentsaid pan for the discharge of water therein and adapted to be connectedto a water supply source, means responsive to the fall of water level insaid pan for opening said valve, a partition closing said aperture andhaving a series of vertical slots therein, and evaporator plates ofmaterial possessing capillary attraction, one of said plates extendingthrough each of said slots with a portion disposed in said pan andextending from the bottom thereof and another portion projecting throughthe slot in the partition in snugly fitting substantially sealingengagement with the edges of said slot.

2. A humidifier comprising a mounting structure having' an aperturetherein, a water pan mounted on said structure in communication with theatmosphere and extending through said aperture, a water control valvehaving an outlet disposed adjacent said pan for discharge of watertherein and adapted to be connected to a Water supply source, meansresponsive to the fall of water level in said pan for opening saidvalve, a partition extending across said aperture having a series ofvertical slots to provide a rack member, said partition being providedwith an angular extension adapted to close the portion of said panextending through said aperture, and a series of evaporator platessupported by said rack member and arranged one in each slot, each ofsaid plates being of a material possessing capillary attraction andarranged with a portion in the water pan and extending from the bottomthereof and another portion projecting through said aperture.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS WilsonNov. 10, 1914 Miller Apr. 24, 1917 Jensen May 16, 1939 Getz Feb. 12,1952 Bottum Sept. 8, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany May 11, 1903 ItalyFeb. 23, 1946

